As electrophotographic photoconductors for use in electrophotographic image-forming apparatuses, inorganic photoconductors having a photosensitive layer composed of an inorganic material, such as selenium, and organic photoconductors having a photosensitive layer mainly composed of organic materials, such as a binder resin, a charge-generating material, and a charge-transporting material are known.
Among these photoconductors, organic photoconductors have been widely used because of ease of production compared with inorganic photoconductors, wider selectivity of materials for the photosensitive layer, and higher design freedom.
Although organic photoconductors have such advantages, since most of organic materials are generally composed of soft materials, the photosensitive layer easily becomes worn with repeated use, which is a problem.
Accordingly, many studies have been conducted on improvement in abrasion resistance of the photosensitive layer of organic photoconductors, and organic photoconductors with improved abrasion resistance have been proposed.